# It’s ‘whack-a-mole’: Alarming rise in pet trade fuels wildlife trafficking into California

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/its-whack-a-mole-alarming-rise-in-pet-trade-fuels-wildlife-trafficking-into-california/
- Published: 2025-12-03T09:45:00-06:00
- Author: Curated by Theresa Wysocki

Photo: A juvenile orange-fronted parakeet seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in California. Photo credit Rebecca Fabbri / USFWS. Article by Spoorthy Raman. Mongabay – November 25, 2025. California has become a wildlife trafficking hotspot in the U.S., with a notable spike in live animals smuggled across the southern border to be sold as pets, from monkeys and exotic birds to venomous snakes. The state has three high-traffic border crossings with Mexico and millions of tons of cargo shipped through some of the nation’s busiest airports and seaports. With limited staff, resource-strapped agencies face serious challenges in policing the illegal import of protected plants and animals into California. […] Click here to view original web page at www.news.mongabay.com